Survey Reveals Digital Cameras for Fathers Day

A survey conducted last week by the Consumer Electronics
Manufacturers Association (CEMA) found that digital consumer electronics
products top Dad's list of Father's Day gift ideas. When asked to choose
from a list of consumer electronics devices, the majority of fathers surveyed
(25 percent) indicated that they would like to receive a personal computer,
or a digital camera or camcorder (15 percent) as a Father's Day gift.
A DVD player and a color television tied for third place (8 percent each)
and a cellular phone or pager ranked fifth (6 percent).

"Fathers' preference for digital products is reflective
of the overall shift in the consumer electronics marketplace,'' commented
Gary Shapiro, CEMA president and father of two boys. ``As consumers come
to understand the power, flexibility and value of digital products, their
desire for them continues to increase.''

Children's perception of what their fathers would like
as a Father's Day gift, did not always coincide with fathers' overall
preferences, although the top five products remain consistent throughout
the survey. A color television for example, was the gift most children
thought their fathers would like (10.4 percent) followed by a digital
camera (9.6 percent), a computer (9.5 percent), a DVD player (6 percent)
and a cellular phone or pager (5 percent).

While women predicted their father's preferences slightly
more accurately than men did, the age of the children was a strong predictor
of how accurately respondents guessed what their fathers wanted. Children
between the ages of 25 and 34 most accurately ranked their father's preferences
for Father's Day gifts.

"It seems clear from the research that children want
to get their fathers the gifts that the children most want for themselves
and that the entire family can enjoy,'' commented Shapiro. "I suspect
that my kids' proposal to get a high definition television for Father's
Day is not entirely unselfish!''

CEMA's survey was fielded via telephone interviews conducted
in June 1999 to a random sample of 1,000 U.S. households.